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Cattle News

31st National Show of Hereford Cattle, Tenbury Wells

PictureHighHedges Blossom 8-14 - Res Junior Champion
This year it was great to see the number of cattle forward up and a number of new and returning exhibitors all hoping to win the largest prize for any Supreme Champion Hereford anywhere in the country. 
This year we brought out all of the females we had born in 2014 (it was a year of popping our bull calves) and a young bull.  We had always thought highly of the shape and confirmation of the heifers - HighHedges Blossom 7-14 and HighHedges Blossom 8-14, and so it was satisfying to have this confirmed by PJ Budler placing each 1st in class.  7-14 is the first calf of HH Blossom 2-11 by Mara Jason and attended this show last year as a calf at foot, and 8-14 is the first calf of Border Burlington J35 out of 2-11's dam, Lowergrove Blossom.  Great credit again has to be given to Edward Thompson for his presentation skills,; for me, they are second to none - and he likes a bit of winning!
PJ Budler's judging was a spectacle to watch - he called in the lowest placing first so the longer one was on the move, the better it became and I'm delighted to say that we did the most walking with both of the heifers!  He gave an appraisal of the class and then the results were announced.  For the audience, it was so much more user-friendly as he was swift in his judgement and generous with his explanations. 
I must also mention Lana Charge - Lana is aiming to go to Harper Adams and approached me to see if she could come to us for some work experience as she had not worked with farm animals thus far.  She joined us for 10 working days before the show, helped with the show preparation and day-to-day work and then was brave enough to compete in the Young Handlers.  Lana finished a highly creditable 2nd to the eventual champion, showing what an aptitude she has for stock handling.

Royal Norfolk Show, July 2015

Our first trip to Norfolk and what a friendly show!  Unfortunately it was ragingly hot and Mrs Jackson was kind enough to lend us a fan.  We came under the skilled eye of Clive Davies who assessed the quality of the cattle and size for age so that those giving away age were not disadvantaged and overconditioned females were not to the fore.  Three of the first four in the 9 strong 1 April Heifer class were born in June or later and HH Blossom 7-14 was a pleasing fourth.
HighHedges Loftus finished a creditable fourth in a 12 strong bull class.

South Suffolk Show, May 2015

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It was great to start the season with a win for HighHedges Loftus in a decent class of young bulls.  He then stood Reserve Champion to Trillick Knock Out (who went on to be Horned Bull of the Year 2015).
HighHedges Blossom 7-14 had her first show outing but was giving away too much in age in a large class, so it was a useful schooling exercise.

A bit of fun!

After turning out, it was time for a bit of frivolity!  So having exchanged a few unusual ideas with John Waine , he came down to the farm with a model, Camilla Ackrill, a lighting assistant and a make up artist to do a shoot.  We were very lucky with the weather although I think the barn shots worked better than the outdoor shots. 
In the time it took for the model to be made up and dressed, I had changed into the side saddle gear, done the side saddle shots, changed into the QPR top for the shots for the QPR programme (HH Loftus) and done some straight shots!
John is great fun to work with and I'd totally recommend him.  Our premises are available as a shoot location - for details, contact us.

MEAHBA Calf Show at Newark, Nov 2014

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The High Hedges Cup for accumulating the most points in young handler classes at eligible Shows in the Midlands and East Anglia area throughout 2014 is presented at this show, so I braved the November washing and sleeping in the trailer routine and ventured north with HighHedges Loftus in tow.  In a strong bull class, Loftus finished second to Normanton 1 Lionel, the eventual Res Supreme Champion, so we were well pleased with that.  Here he is showing a super long and level top line!
Faith Trinder won the HH Cup and joint runners up were Harriet Froud and Naomi Lewis.

Bucks County Show 2014

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Our local show and how nice it is only to have to trundle 5 miles up the hill.  This year's team comprised three HighHedges Blossom heifers, Mara Pansy 30th and HighHedges Kick On.   It was a day of 'Blue is the colour' as we finished second in the Pairs, HH Blossom 6-13 was second, HH Blossom 4-13 was second, HH Kick On was second and only Mara Pansy 30th (right) hit the red one.  Even Steve's shearling ewe was second!

30th National Show of Hereford Cattle, Tenbury Wells

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The HighHedges Team of six plus one were in awesome form at the National Show - thanks in no small way to the expert showmanship and quiet handling skills of Mr Edward Thompson. 
HighHedges Kick On started by winning the Breedplan Recorded Bull class and the Westaway Cup.  This result is determined by the judge giving marks out of 10 for structure, conformation, locomotion etc which are then combined with the bull's Terminal Index figure as a %.  Kick On is 16months old.

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The heifer trio came next - HighHedges Blossoms 4-13, 5-13 & 6-13, in the Group of Three class and finished second to a strong Haven Group of Males.  4-13 (on the right) went back into the tent and the September heifers stayed out to take the Geoff Thomas Perpetual Challenge Cup for the best pair of calves.  At this point, the black clouds emptied out and totally soaked us all.


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HighHedges Blossom 2-11 came out in the Heifer in calf or with calf at foot class on her third visit to Tenbury.  Her 5 week old calf, Blossom 7-14 accompanied her and was foot perfect.  This class was a re-match from 2013 and this time, Blossom was the victor.  She stood Reserve Senior Female Champion to the eventual Grand Female Champion.

HighHedges Blossom 4-13 (right in the Group above) finished a creditable fourth in the next heifer class (1 Jan-31 Mar 2013) as the second youngest.  Mara Pansy 30th caught the eye as she came out in the next class and finished a tight second to Pulham Hazel 8th.
The September Blossoms, both by Mara Epic, headed out for the September 2103 heifer class, always a strong class at Tenbury.  Blossom 6-13, out of Mara Blossom 38th, herself a half-sister to Tenbury Supreme Champion Mara Blossom 31st, was the winner, with 5-13 coming in 4th. 
Below left is HighHedges Blossom 6-13 being awarded the Morris Powell Memorial Trophy for the Junior Female Championship.  Below left - judging Grand Female Championship, 6-13 nearest camera.

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Probably the strongest class of the day was for the April-August 2013 Bulls with representatives from the major horned herds in the line up.  HighHedges Kick On finished second to the eventual Supreme Champion, Haven Kermit.

It was immensely pleasing how many complimentary comments the cattle and the team's presentation received from cattlemen who have forgotten more than I'll ever know. 

And to cap it all, we won the George Davies Memorial Trophy and the Ted Hewitson Perpetual Cup for the owner and stockman in charge of the herd winning most points.

Hertfordshire County Show 2014

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Another grotty bank holiday weekend!  HighHedges Kick On lifted our spirits with a win in the young bull class (born after 1 March 2013) on Saturday and the heifer pair of Mara Pansy 30th and HighHedges Blossom 5-13 did really well to be placed third in the Interbreed pairs on the Sunday.
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South Suffolk Show - wet and windy in May

PictureHighHedges Kick On - aged 13m, 680Kgs
Well, the cattle were all pristine when left on Saturday evening.  Up at 3.15am, fed the pet lambs, dawn arrived and the cattle were definitely not as pristine as they had been.  Most of the long drive to Ampton was dry, it just started to rain as we arrived and unloaded less pristine cattle, who then became wet too.  Couldn't fit the generator in the car so did what we could.
Giving away nearly 7 months was too big an ask for Mara Pansy 30th but she gained valuable experience; Mara Bonny 34th was second in the cow class and then HighHedges Kick On raised our spirits with a second in the young bull class and was Reserve Male Champion too.  He was very well behaved and took it all in his stride so should go on from here.  He has been scanned, has good EBVs and his superb early growth rate will make him an asset to any herd wanting a proper stock bull.

Border Burlington J35 joins us

We thank Stan and Helen Quan for the opportunity to acquire Border Burlington J35 from their prestigious herd.  He is a well made, clean bull with tremendous length, good limbs and movement.  His head is 'proper Hereford' and he is a lovely dark colour.  And then we move on to his figures!  His Hereford Terminal Index is +48 (top 1% of the breed - only 4 animals in the database better) and his Hereford Self Replacing Index is +57 (top 1% of the breed - only 4 animals in the database better).  His 200, 400 and 600 day weight figures are all in the top 1% of the breed.  Aside from the stats, he is a very quiet bull with a contented nature - so easy to have around.

The females covered in the winter were all in calf at the earliest opportunity so we are looking forward to the September 2014 calves immensely.

High Hedges Cup for the MEAHBA Young Handler of the Year -  2013

PictureEleanor receives the High Hedges Cup from Sarah
Congratulations go to Eleanor Fowell (aged 14) - the proud winner of the High Hedges Cup for accumulating the most points in young handler classes at eligible Shows in the Midlands and East Anglia area throughout 2013.
Eleanor, daughter of Norfolk farmer and Hereford cattle breeder, Robert Fowell (Fowell Bros, Itteringham), started handling in 2012 and was the highest placed young handler in all the shows at which she competed and she concluded by winning the 14 & under class at the MEAHBA Calf Show.
Joint Runners-Up were Robert & Harriet Froud, (aged 11 and 9 respectively), grandchildren of MEAHBA Chairman Michael Church.  Hopefully, their joint placing has kept the peace in the Froud household for now - until the competition starts in 2014!

Bucks County Show 2013

HighHedges Diadem started the day well with a creditable 3rd in the Heifer born 1.04.12-31.08.12 class.   
Blossom 2-11 finished 2nd to Sparkwood Dowager 2nd, and then the pair were picked with two of P & AM Riley's youngsters to make up the Hereford Breed's representatives in the Interbreed Group of Four.  How hard can walking four cattle around a ring upsides be!!!  A bit like trotting straight down the centre line in a dressage test - it's not till you try it, that you realise it is not a piece of cake - however, the Herefords finished fourth and the judge was very complimentary about the improvements made by the breed over the recent years.

29th National Show of Hereford Cattle, Tenbury Wells

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A professional photograph, courtesy of Mr Eric Beard - you can tell the difference, although she was not at her most co-operative.  Highhedges Blossom 2-11 finished 2nd to the eventual Grand Female Champion, Sparkwood Dowager 2nd, in her class.  These two enjoyed a tussle all year - with the early season honours going to Blossom at Herts County & Oxon & Thame County and Dowager finishing the season strongly beating Blossom 2-11 into second here and later at Bucks County Show.

After this photo was taken, I had to dash back home to attend a special wedding, where our lamb was the main course (jolly delicious and well received, it was too!).  Thank to Paul Snell for packing up the gear and bringing my girl back home.

Oxfordshire County & Thame Show 2013

PictureHighhedges Blossom 2-11, Breed Champion 2013
Good to have this show back on the circuit following it's absence last year due to a clash with the opening ceremony of the Olympics.  But hot, hot, hot!  The joys of the English climate - preparing for Herts, one was in danger of contracting pneumonia; six weeks later and the beast is dry before the blower is set up!
Badlingham Curly 124th and Kick On had their first visit to a show and took the honours in the Cow class, with the Judge, Mr Les Vesty, complimenting the calf.
Highhedges Blossom 2-11 was next in the ring for a bulging heifer class that covered a year's age range.  She was called in first and stayed there.
We then had a rush around to get ourselves and the cattle ready for the Female Championship.  To our delight, the heifer was tapped forward and awarded the Female Championship, which was the first one we'd won - and with a home-bred.  So then on to the Breed Championship for the head to head with Sparkwood Ned of Mrs Jackson's.  We weren't kept waiting long and Highhedges Blossom 2-11 was 2013 Breed Champion!

Hertfordshire County Show 2013

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The lovely Highhedges Blossom 2-11 won her class (Maiden heifer, born between 1st July 2011 and 28th February 2012) at the 2013 Herts County Show.
This is the third year that we've shown at Herts and she follows in the footsteps of her dam and sire; her dam, Lowergrove Blossom, won in 2011 and her sire, Lowergrove Fernando, was male champion in 2012.
On the Sunday, she came out to complete in the Open Beef Heifer Sweepstakes (Native) and finished 4th - but highest placed Hereford and beating the previous day's Reserve Female Champion.

Curly Cow has calved

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Kick On at 1 week old with Curly Cow looking on
Easter Monday saw the arrival of Highhedges Kick On at the civilised time of 3pm.  Kick On was 54kg at birth and was very fast to his feet and on to the milk bar. 

He is by Badlingham Beefeater (see Bulls page for more details) out of Badlingham Curly 124th.

She is proving very maternal and has plenty of milk.

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Highhedges Kick On and Highhedges Blossom 4-13

We are a grandmother!

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Blossom 4-13 at 3 weeks old
With special timing, the first calf that landed on our farm has in turn given us her first calf.  Highhedges Blossom gave birth to a tidy heifer, unaided, and with the minimum of fuss, which hopefully will indicate that we can expect a long breeding life for her.
The calf is by Lowergrove Fernando, our 2012 Herts Co Show Champion, who has proven to be 100% easy calving - as the serving was witnessed, we know this one was bang on 283 days' gestation.
She knows just how cute she is!

New stock bull - Mara Epic

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Here he is - part way through moulting and having been in the barn for months during what seems like the longest winter in memory. Can't wait to see him in his summer clothes.
This is a truly modern Hereford - clean, long, neat shoulders and good behind the shoulder with a superb back end.  He has been on nothing but grass/forage since he arrived and tips the scales at over 1,200kg.
And his calves pop out without breaking the cow.

Badlingham Curly 124th

On Saturday, October 27th, we headed off to A G Wright & Sons' farm for the dispersal sale of the Badlingham, Hermitage and Hillrow herds.  Having spent a fair amount of time on pedigrees and a pre-visit, we had narrowed our selections down to a few.  There was a real buzz around the ring as things soon got going - especially as Oakingham Stud were clearly on a big shopping trip and many would-be buyers simply were bid beyond what they wanted to spend.
We were pleased to secure this in-calf cow at a (in the overall context) reasonable price.  Curly Cow is by Clipston Bowman, her dam is the dam of Badlingham Burnside, and she brings a new cow family into our herd. 
She is in calf. Poor thing was separated from her calf after the sale and has taken a while to settle as she's been looking for her calf for days.  It really brought into focus how preferable our two stage weaning process is for cow and calf.

New heifers arrive

We are delighted to add some new blood to the herd with the addition of four heifers from the Mara.  Bob and Margaret Borwick have very reluctantly reduced their numbers to make life a little easier for them as pensioners.  We have added two Bonny heifers by Mara Excel (X), now owned by Mrs Lesley Jackson, and two by FH Diamond - one a Diadem heifer and one a Blossom heifer.  All have strong dam lines, three are out of dams that Bob has chosen to retain in his reduced herd - in itself a mark of recommendation.

Autumn calving done and dusted

What a classic pair the Blossom cows are.  This year one calved the day after the other, both bull calves so it is really nice that they have instant playmates.
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Bucks County Show 2012

A pair of seconds - second in the Pairs with Highhedges Blossom 2-11 and 3-11 and then Highhedges Blossom 2-11 was second in the September 2011 Heifer class.  They both were well behaved and took it all in their stride.
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Lowergrove Fernando sold to Castle Park Herefords

We are delighted that Fernando has found himself a new job as stock bull for Jim Morrison at  Castle Park Herefords close to the North York Moors in an area of outstanding natural beauty.  We've had lots of photos showing him settling in to his new life.  He was a lovely bull for us to own and am sure that he will continue in the same vein for Jim.

Hertfordshire County Show 2012

Herts Show was moved back this year so that it fell on the weekend of celebrations for HRH The Queen's Diamond Jubilee - which explains the Chief Cattle Steward's attire (see below)!
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Another first for us - the first time I'd ever shown a bull.

Lowergrove Fernando was shown lightly in 2010 before we bought him from Paul Snell.
He looked so well over the winter that I started to think about bringing him out at some stage.  Once he'd been on the grass a few weeks, he really started to bloom in skin and coat.

He won his class for bulls born before 31 August 2010 and then went on to stand Male Champion.  Here he is in the Grand Parade in the Jubilee Arena being presented the Westmill Challenge Cup for the Champion Hereford Male by the Countess of Verulam.
There are more photos from the day on Fernando's page.
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We warmed up in the first two heifer classes with Lowergrove Blossom's 2010 and 2011 calves.  Highhedges Blossom 2-11 was giving away almost 6 months to the oldest in the class, so we were highly delighted when Gerald Cox placed her third.

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Spring calving over!

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I'm not sure that this unseasonal weather comes close to being Spring.  After a dry lead up, a hot March where you could almost see the grass screaming for mercy, April and May so far have been cold and wet.

Left is Mara Diadem 26 and her first calf, born 04 May 2012.  The calf is about 20 hours old here.  Mum calved it herself, watched from a distance, and was on the calf like a greyhound from the traps, licking and mooing to her new born.
Thankfully, another super Hereford Mum to join the herd.

New arrivals - September 2011

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Highhedges Blossom 2-11 at 3m 10d
By the end of the first week in September, our two cows had delivered their calves by themselves as we stood by - just in case!  Both are heifer calves and are doing well.

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Highhedges Blossom 3-11
It is a lovely sight to see the calves playing together, bucking and galloping
around the field.
Both calves are by Lowergrove Fernando.

Mara Diadem 26

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Mara Diadem 26 - aged 2 years
Mara Diadem 26 is due to calve in May 2012.  She has been scanned in calf to FH Diamond (sire of Mrs Jackson's 2 bulls that were Breed Champions at Herts and Bucks County shows).


Back in July, I treated myself to a new heifer from Mara Herefords.  She comes from a successful family and bears a striking likeness to her mother (top right) and grandmother (bottom right).
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Mara Diadem 21 born 21.02.2006 s Anhay Bosorne d Mara Diadem 17 (8 months)
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Mara Diadem 17 born 01.09.2003 s Pelokke Lincoln d Mara Diadem U5 (2 years)

Bucks County Show 2011

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Ever since I was a little girl, I have wanted to be awarded a Bucks County rosette and card!  So we were delighted when Highhedges Blossom won her class for Pedigree Hereford Heifers born after 1 September 2010. 

The Midlands & East Anglian Hereford Breeders Association then sponsored a Special Prize for the best animal from the male and female classes for those born after 1 September 2010 which she took too.

When we arrived home from the show, her dam was in the process of producing the next Highhedges Blossom.

Oxford County & Thame Show 2011

Highhedges Blossom, won her class for Pedigree Hereford Heifers born after 1 September 2010.

In her second show and the first on her own away from the herd, she behaved impeccably and arrived home jolly tired!

She has a feminine head, good width, length, top and bottom line with great depth of body.  Hopefully, she'll make up into a super breeding beast in years to come.
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Hertfordshire County Show 2011

Our first time showing cattle so we were full of eager and nervous anticipation at what the day would behold.  On arrival to the Hereford zone in the cattle tent, we could not have been greeted by a more welcoming and helpful bunch of people, who were steeped in the art of cattle breeding, show preparation and exhibiting.  For this, my heartfelt thanks!

Highhedges Blossom, our first born, was entered in the youngest heifer class but being five+ months younger than the others, this was an outing for experience - she finished fifth.

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Our second class was for Pedigree Hereford Cows in calf or with calf at foot.  Lowergrove Blossom won the class with Highhedges Blossom at foot.

Lowergrove Blossom is a delightful cow to own.  She has produced us a super calf, is back in-calf and as you can see has a great topline, depth of body and length.  She can really move too.

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